Crossword Genius

Spartan's strides to falter and flag (5,3,7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stars and stripes

'flag' is the definition.
(I know that Stars and Stripes is a type of flag)

'spartan's strides to falter' is the wordplay.
'to falter' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'faltering' mean this).
'spartans'+'strides'='spartansstrides'
'spartansstrides' with letters rearranged gives 'STARS AND STRIPES'.

'and' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for stars and stripes that I've seen before include "indicators of military rank" , "indications of rank" , "The US flag" , "Standard" , "American flier" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.